Jay Eats Worldwide

July 30th is National Cheesecake Day! Not that I'm a huge dessert eater, just ask my friends, but I do enjoy some of the simple desserts such as sorbets, key lime pie, chocolate mousse, and cheesecake. During college, my friends and I would go to the Marina Del Rey Cheesecake Factory and sit on the deck, order our nachos, potato skins, and then some outrageous cheesecake for dessert. One of my favorites is Eli's Cheesecake in Chicago. I would always try to stop in or get one to bring home, loved their kiosk at O'Hare, sometimes I would forget to get one. BTW, "Eli's The Place for Steak" is one of my favorite Chicago steak restaurants. Enjoy National Cheesecake Day! Pass me a Spoon! Jay Terauchi Kahuna of the Kitchen Photo courtesy of Savit Keawtavee http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=1783

July is National Hot Dog Month! There are way too many hot dog places to visit in a month. Here's two favorites: The Guadalajara Dog mustard, sweet relish, diced onions, diced tomatoes, and sour cream Pink's Famous Hot Dogs 709 N LaBrea Ave Los Angeles, CA 90039 Top Dog Frankfurter with Stoneground Mustard All Beef - Kosher Style One of my all time favorite hot dog places... Top Dog #1 (Southside) 2534 Durant Ave Berkeley, CA 94704 What's a good hot dog without a great mustard? FOUND ONE! Bertman Ball Park Mustard Cleveland, Ohio While at an Indians game at Jacobs Field in '97, I was introduced to Cleveland's Famous Ball Park Mustard. It's a brown mustard that has a vinegar flavor and works really well with hot dogs, sandwiches, and anything you'd use mustard on. The hard part is finding this mustard outside of Cleveland. Yes, I buy it by the case directly from the company... Pass the Mustard, Let's Eat! Photos by Jay Terauchi (c) Kahuna of the Kitch...

July 29th is National Lasagna Day! Growing up, my mom would always try to incorporate more and more vegetables into her lasagna. Once she went overboard and it was almost like a vegetable terrine. Back then, my mom was way ahead of her time. I did grow up to appreciate a great sauce tho... Hard to say where lasagna originated from, some say it's an ancient Greek dish and others a Greek pasta dish with flat pasta. I just want to know how the Italian version came to America to have some restaurants mess it up? Guess grandma can't be everywhere... Classic Lasagna Lunch Special at a local pizzeria You can imagine what their pizza looked like and why I went this route... There was a great deli nearby that I would go every week, sometimes for the lasagna and other times for the baked pasta special. I got lazy and would buy their sauce and then go home to make something. Until the owner messed up his deli, bakery, and restaurant (all 3 under the same roof). Not sure what this ...

Today is July 28th and National Milk Chocolate Day! I Love Milk Chocolate! My favorites are Peanut M&Ms, Twix, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, and Hawaiian Host Chocolates . I usually have some put away for the late night projects or early morning breakfast, just hope my mom doesn't read this... There are some benefits for working late...* My all time favorite is the Hawaiian Honey-Coated Whole Macadamias in Premium Milk Chocolate from Hawaiian Host. Hawaiian Honey-Coated Whole Macadamias in Premium Milk Chocolate ** The last time I stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village , I was waiting for the elevator with a couple who was coming back from dinner. The woman opened her ABC Store bag and pulled out the Gold Hawaiian Host box and started to open it. I made a comment that she made the right choice, "It's my favorite one." She looked at her husband and said "See, I told you this was a good one." They offered me a piece and the 3 of us enjoyed it on th...

July 27th is National Crème Brûlée Day! I don't say this often, but this is one of my favorite desserts. Who doesn't like to crack that caramel layer on top? Crème Brûlée "Burnt Cream" Crème Brûlée is traditionally a vanilla custard, but sometimes flavored with a fruit zest, chocolate, coffee, or other fruit. It's topped with burnt sugar, which caramelizes and give it that hard caramel crust. The caramel can be formed by sprinkling sugar on top of the custard, then placing in the broiler or using a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, this is the fun part. Grab a Spoon! Jay Terauchi (c) Kahuna of the Kitchen Photo by CNN

Today is the Last Fryday of July 2011! I have a couple of favorite places for French Fries, one of them being Wing Stop. Although not always consistent, I do like the seasoning that they use on them. My other favorite place is In-N-Out, I think it's because I've been going since high school and more of a package deal. Love a Double Double with fries and a lemonade, although it's pink. I went to a food show with a client once, he was looking for a new frozen French Fries. We must have tried about 20 frozen and fresh cut, after awhile they all tasted the same. What it came down to was the seasoning they were using, which is one reason why I like Wing Stop. Wing Stop French Fries One of my favorites... OK, I like the wings too... Today, I opted for Lemon Pepper flavoring I try not to eat much fried foods, but try and do are two different things... LOL! Happy Fryday! Photos by Jay Terauchi (c) Kahuna of the Kitchen

July 25th is National Hot Fudge Sundae Day! Shouldn't this be on Sunday? y on this one... The classic hot fudge sundae is usually vanilla ice cream, served with a hot chocolate sauce, whipped cream, nuts, and a single maraschino cherry on top. Pass the Spoon! Photo by Jay Terauchi Jay Eats ©Jay Terauchi

What a Difference a Week Makes... Last weekend people in Los Angeles left town or stayed home due to Carmageddon. I headed back to the Westside for another morning meeting, but this time so were a lot of people. North on the 110 Freeway 2:15 pm Carmageddon Weekend 10 Freeway East 1:15 pm Guess it's back to an hour, doesn't really matter where you go in Los Angeles. What a Difference a Week Makes... Photos by Jay Terauchi (c) Kahuna of the Kitchen

My friend Keizo was in town from Japan this week, some of you might follow his blog GO RAMEN . It's been over a year since Keizo moved to Tokyo to study ramen, he's trained at some of the top ramen shops in Japan. But today, we met up for ramen at Zenya to catch up. Funny thing, he lives in Tokyo and knew about this New place in Torrance which just opened a week ago. Go figure... Before we ordered, Keizo mentioned that Zenya's specialty is the Tonkotsu Ramen, the pork broth soup base. After the server took our drink order, we were told that they have no more Tonkotsu. WTH? It's 1:30 pm on a Saturday. I could understand if it was 10 pm on a Saturday, but lunch? You could already tell that I'm not a happy camper, nor a Shio Ramen fan. They only have two types of ramen broth on the menu and their specialty was SOLD OUT. Shio Ramen Half Order $5.50 Since my first choice was unavailable, I opted for the half order Shio and small order of the Zenya tonkatsu over ...

It's that time of the week again...Ramen Monday! Had to head down to San Diego to take care of some business and a lunch meeting at Tajima. Some may think I was avoiding Carmageddon - Day 2, but I did have some business in SD. Hidden between car dealerships and Korean restaurants, this restaurant is tucked away at the end of a strip mall. Before heading down to SD, I checked my buddy's website on Tajima. His recommendation was to stick with the shoyu ramen, which was better than the tonkotsu one. I took his advice and ordered the Original Tajima Ramen with the soy sauce base and thin noodles, other choice is a thicker noodle. Thanks Keizo ! Original Tajima Ramen Shoyu Thin Noodles $6.96 The broth was good and the noodles well cooked. I did overhear other customers ordering the same but wanted it spicy. The bowl included one slice of chasu (pork), half a boiled egg, sheet of nori, and green onions. I did do an add on... I added the Kakuni Pork $3.00 Half of the pork bell...

Carmageddon 2011 Sunday, July 17th Los Angeles Day 2 Didn't stay in LA today, went to San Diego! Day 2 of Carmageddon in Los Angeles and I headed South to San Diego. Not just to escape, but to visit some friends and eat. Heading South 8:45 AM Interstate 15 Entering San Diego County 9:20 AM Where's the traffic? Don't want to jinx it...it's a beautiful day Kate Murray Founder and Sushi Chef of Miss Sushi San Diego Also, main character in "The Zen of Fish" by Trevor Corson You might even see my name in there too... My first stop was to see my friend, mentee, and fellow sushi chef, Kate Murray at the Rancho Santa Fe Farmer's Market. It's been awhile since I've tasted her sushi creations and promised that I would, today was the day. Red Head Roll Shrimp tempura roll topped with spicy tuna, spicy sauce, and crunchies Served with a seared tuna and cucumber/seaweed salad You can visit Miss Sushi at the Rancho Santa Fe Farmers Market Every Other Sunday or...

On Sunday, I headed toward San Diego to take care of some business and to eat some good food. My first stop was to see "Miss Sushi" at the Rancho Santa Fe Farmers Market. I've know Kate for a few years now. I've watched her learn sushi, visited her at restaurants, and now running her own business. Founder and Sushi Chef Kate Murray Miss Sushi San Diego Appearing at the Rancho Santa Fe Farmers Market Every Other Sunday Kate working on sushi orders for hungry customers in line. I got there early, so the line wasn't as long as Harry Potter Red Head Roll Shrimp tempura roll topped with spicy tuna, spicy sauce, and crunchies Served with seared tuna and cucumber/seaweed salad Kate suggested I try the Red Head roll. Nice contrast, good flavor, and a menu recommendation. Kate's story was featured in the 2007 book zenzation "The Zen of Fish" by Trevor Corson You might notice another familiar name in the book... In between s...